Jean-Marie Simon: A foreign witness to Guatemala’s war

Jean-Marie Simon lived and worked in Guatemala as a photojournalist between 1980 and 1988, a period of extreme violence and brutality in the country.

Here, she talks about life and work in one of the most dangerous times in Guatemala.

‘What was actually striking in the first few days after the coup was a sense of euphoria and relief. There was a huge rally in the park in front of the National Palace and people waving posters saying “we believe in the army”, “we want peace” because urban repression had been so intense under the previous government headed by Lucas Garcia that people thought – it turned out wrongly – that anyone, even another military man, had to be an improvement on what they had suffered previously.

In fact, Amnesty International published in 1981 a booklet, which I consider seminal “Guatemala: a government programme of political murder” which really said everything about Guatemala under Lucas Garcia, so really the first few days of Ríos Montt were just sheer happiness and then what followed, of course, was a progression of repression, both in the capital and in the countryside.

In the countryside, the level of massacres escalated under Ríos Montt.’

fransisco vargas you are correct……it was not just the army….the guerrilla killed, raped stole and I can not believe that the human rights only are targeting Rios Montt ; where is Fidel,, where is everyone involved on all these killings…….

It was a very dirty war in Guatemala (And in the world) because of the American security !! Why dont´you do something to prosecute your politics and military Peolple involved ? Our military only followed the US Cold War politics, remember Vietnam? Corea? Cuba? Nicaragua? What do you expect from a Dirty guerilla War ? The real Genocides are you Americans !! Ms Simon Don´t be an hipocryte anymore , Thanks our victims and our Heroes like Rios Montt the US is Free today !

1.- You took thousands of pictures of dead Guatemalan bodies, Men women and children from both side of the conflict, and SOLD them for good money in the 1980's and 90's to newspapers and magazines around the world..

2.-You wrote a book (Your own personal view) of what happened during the comflict in Guatemala and made lots of more money.

3.-Now you have a blog in which you promote and sale packages to American Students to come to Guatemala to see Your version of the Soaicla Injustice and the children of the trash sites, so these young students get the wrong idea about our Guatemala, while you make more funds to back up your Diffamatory campaign against our country.

Justice, and hungry children in Guatemala is clearly NOt your goal. Is it money Ms Simon? Haven you already made enough at our expense and suffering? or is it that you dream of a Comunist Marxist Guatemala?
In any regard, If you have ever wondered in your mind, that all you have done have helped Guatemala even a little bit YOU ARE COMPLETELY WRONG!!!!!!!

You have only made things worst for all of us Guatemalans, rich and poor, Spaniards or Indians,
Army or civilians. You are dangerous to our country. Please stop now. We dont want you or need you. Just never forget that the Humans laws may scape you, but Gods justice will never let you by unpunished.

One last thing Ms Simon, WHY were you called "Susana" during the armed conflict in Guatemala ? Do You know that YOU are part of a list of WANTED individuals to be prosecuted at the Ministerio Publico. Among other "Ex-Guerrilla" members, who committed crimes, killings and kidnappings during those years in Guatemala.

So this lady was one of the terrorist who destroyed and decimated my country? What is funny to see is the she got balls to came here and cause destruction and suffering…….but lacks the balls to answer the people……..the people of Guatemala whos asking her and pointing her as responsible of criminal activities here….
O sera que tendre que escribirle en español o que?

I am a Guatemalan citizen capable of thinking by my own and with the freedom of decide what is good and what is bad, when i knew about the work of Jean-Marie i was amazed, i really admire her and her job is like pure gold, her pictures of the war are a treasure, i believe that the strong should protect the weak and in this war the strong fight the weak, pay no attention to comments like the ones from YSIJODOQUE and Jose Diaz, that's only their point of view, not the whole country point of view.

These are not opinions…. This is the truth documented, so do your research and try not to show your ignorance. The good things is that you only represent a very small minority group who is working hard to destabilize our country and make money at it, that is why you defend this Woman. Anyway Her , her books, and pictures, and You are only a temporary discomfort, just like stomach Flu, that goes away once we shit you out .